Scottoline to sign new novel in North Wales April 15

Prolific and popular Philadelphia-area author Lisa Scottoline will be signing copies of her latest thriller, "Come Home," at Costco, 740 Upper State Road, North Wales, on Sunday, April 15, from 1 to 2:30 p.m.

So, if you're a Scottoline fan and you have your taxes done by then, you can do some bulk shopping and meet a fave author in the same trip. Fresh copies of "Come Home" (St. Martin's Press, April 10, 2012, $27.99, 384 pp.) will be available for purchase at the store.

About the book (description from Scottoline's website,where you can also read the first chapter):

Jill Farrow is a typical suburban mom, who has finally gotten her and her daughter's life back on track after a divorce. She is about to remarry a great guy, her job as a pediatrician fulfills her, though it is stressful, and her daughter Megan is a happily over-scheduled 13-year-old, juggling homework and swim team.

Jill's life is turned upside-down when her ex-stepdaughter, Abby, shows up on their doorstep late one night and delivers shocking news — Jill's ex-husband is dead. Abby insists that he was murdered and pleads with Jill to help find his killer. Jill reluctantly agrees to make a few inquiries, and discovers that things don't add up. As she digs deeper, her actions threaten to rip apart her new family, destroy their hard-earned happiness, and even endanger her own life. Yet, Jill can't turn her back on a child she loves and once called her own. COME HOME reads with the break-neck pace of a thriller, but also explores the definition of motherhood. It asks the questions: Do you ever stop being a mother? Can you ever have an ex-child? What are the limits and love of family?

About the author:

AUTHOR LISA SCOTTOLINE

A New York Times best-selling author of 19 books, Scottoline pens a weekly column, "Chick Wit," for the Philadelphia Inquirer. She earned her bachelor's and law degrees from Penn before embarking on a career as an attorney that ended in 1986 when she took leave to raise her daughter and began writing legal fiction part-time.

A past winner of the Edgar Award, Scottoline has served as president of the Mystery Writers of America. Her novel "Look Again" has been optioned for a feature film. She resides in the Philadelphia area.

To learn more about Scottoline, click here to visit her webssite.

Below is a list of her books:

Everywhere That Mary Went (1993)
Final Appeal (1994)
Running From the Law (1996)
Legal Tender (1996)
Rough Justice (1998)
Mistaken Identity (1999)
Moment of Truth (2000)
The Vendetta Defense (2001)
Courting Trouble (2003)
Dead Ringer (2003)
Killer Smile (2004)
Devil's Corner (2005)
Dirty Blonde (2006)
Daddy's Girl (2007)
Lady Killer (2008)
Look Again (2009)
Why My Third Husband Will Be A Dog: The Amazing Adventures of an Ordinary Woman (2009) Think Twice (2010) 

Save Me (2011)

Below is an audio clip of the narrator of Lisa Scottoline's "Come Home" reading a passage from the audio book by Macmillan Audio. The photo, however, is of Scottoline and her dog:

Like mystery? Here's one written by 26 authors (double book giveaway)

Philadelphia-area author Lisa Scottoline is one of 26 writers who collaborated on "No Rest for the Dead: A Novel," a soon-to-be-released mystery (Touchstone Hardcover/Simon & Schuster, July 5, 2011, $24.99, 252 pp.) All proceeds from this thriller (with the exception of contributor expenses) are being donated to an extremely worthy cause - the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

In a manner similar to that icebreaker in which one person would start a story and each person in the circle would add a sentence and continue on until the story took on a life of its own, this novel - a serial novel - was written chapter by chapter by the 26 authors. Each numbered chapter is attributed to the author of that particular chapter. With 31 total chapters, some of the writers penned more than one.

According to the publisher, this is the first time such a large number of bestselling authors have been involved in a single project. The full list of authors is:

Jeff Abbott
Lori Armstrong
Sandra Brown
Thomas Cook
Jeffery Deaver
Diana Gabaldon
Tess Gerritsen
Andrew F. Gulli (also an editor of the novel)
Peter James
J.A. Jance
Faye Kellerman
Raymond Khoury
John Lescroart
Jeff Lindsay
Gayle Lynds
Phillip Margolin
Alexander McCall Smith
Michael Palmer
T. Jefferson Parker
Matthew Pearl
Kathy Reichs
Marcus Sakey
Jonathan Santlofer
Lisa Scottoline
R. L. Stine
Marcia Talley

Edited by brother and sister team Andrew F. and Lamie J. Gulli, the novel includes an introduction by author David Baldacci.

The following description of "No Rest for the Dead: A Novel" was provided by Touchstone:

When Christopher Thomas, a ruthless curator at San Francisco's McFall Art Museum, is murdered and his decaying body is found in an iron maiden in a Berlin museum, his wife, Rosemary, is the primary suspect, and she is tried, convicted and executed. Ten years later, Jon Nunn, the detective who cracked the case, is convinced that the wrong person was put to death. In the years since the case was closed, he's discovered a web of deceit and betrayal surrounding the Thomases that could implicate any number of people in the crime. With the help of the dead woman's friend, he plans to gather everyone who was there the night Christopher died and finally uncover the truth, suspect by suspect. Solving this case may be Nunn's last chance for redemption … but the shadowy forces behind Christopher's death will stop at nothing to silence the past forever.

I have two copies of this brand new book, courtesy of Touchstone, that I'd love to share with two readers. Simply comment on my blog and/or e-mail me at mkaras@pottsmerc.com with your mailing address and I will throw your name in a hat to win the book. Entries must be received before 3 p.m. on Friday, July 2, to be considered. (random drawing). Rest assured, there is no tomfoolery on my part w/ your contact info.... Your address won't be given out to another soul. I just want to know where to send your book, if you're selected.

Also: If you happen to be in New York: The Center for Fiction, 17 E. 47th St, New York, NY 10017 is holding a reception where you can meet a number of the contributors to "No Rest for the Dead" on Friday, July 8, at 7 p.m. Cost is $8, with proceeds going to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. The authors scheduled for this event include: R.L. Stine, Diana Gabladon, Jeffery Deaver, Gayle Lynds, Michael Palmer, Peter James, Marcia Talley, John Lescroart, Jonathan Santlofer, and Andrew F. Gulli.

Learn more about the novel at www.norestforthedead.com

To learn more about the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, or make a direct donation, click here.

Philadelphia-area author Lisa Scottoline addresses large crowd for Phoenixville Healthy Woman event

Author Lisa Scottoline gave the keynote address at Phoenixville Hospital's Healthy Woman Program's fourth anniversary celebration and business expo last week.

Scottoline, author of nonfiction books "My Nest Isn't Empty, It Just Has More Closet Space" and "Why My Third Husband Will Be A Dog;" and 18 fictional legal thrillers including "Save Me," "Dirty Blonde," and "Lady Killer," addressed more than 350 women and representatives from 58 businesses and nonprofits at the May 10 event, held at Rivercrest Golf Club.

Mercury Editor Nancy March and I were scheduled to attend, but because of some production issues, we had to stay glued to the office. Thankfully, the Phoenixville Hospital staff provided us with this photo of Scottoline (center), along with the Healthy Woman program's coordinators, Dr. Amy Jane Cadieux and Anna Mae Galbraith.

Scottoline provided the sold-out crowd with a rousing keynote address. The best-selling author also pens the weekly Philadelphia Inquirer "Chick Wit" column with her daughter, Francesca Serritella

She began her presentation by saying she was pleased to "honor the connections between the women in the room," according to a release from Phoenixville Hospital. Scottoline's address included stories about her road to becoming an author and insight on where she gets the ideas for her novels.

"The highlight of our program this year was Lisa Scottoline's insightful and humorous presentation that really spoke to the women in the audience and ended the evening in a fantastic way," said Anna Mae Galbraith, director of Community Health Education and Healthy Woman Coordinator at Phoenixville Hospital.

According to Scottoline's website, she also teaches a course she developed, "Justice and Fiction," at Penn Law School, her alma mater. She lives in the Philadelphia area.

For more information about the Phoenixville Hospital Healthy Woman program, visit phoenixvillehospital.com

Doppelganger getting you down? Here's your chance to compare notes with Lisa Scottoline

Fans of Lisa Scottoline, take note. The New York Times best-seller will be signing copies of her latest novel, "Think Twice" (St. Martin's Press) at Costco, 201 Allendale Road, King of Prussia, on Saturday, March 27, beginning at noon.

According to a press release announcing the book-signing, Scottoline's latest thriller poses the question: "Is evil born in us or is it bred?"

Below is a synopsis:

Bennie Rosato may look exactly like her twin, Alice Connolly, but there's an evil to Alice that makes them two very different women. That's what Bennie thinks until she finds herself buried alive by her own twin. With her sister disposed of, Alice takes over Bennie's live, impersonating her at work and sleeping with her boyerfriend with the hope of escaping her own messy reality.

However, Alice's plan wasn't perfect. She underestimated her twin and the determination she would have to stay alive long enough to exact revenge. She also underestimated Bennie's anger threshold and her own penchant for evil. Now Bennie must face the fact that she is more like her sister than she ever could have imagined as she becomes locked in a war she cannot win - a war with herself.

Sounds like a real page-turner!

Notably, Scottoline pens a weekly column, "Chick Wit," for the Philadelphia Inquirer. She earned her bachelor's and law degrees from Penn before embarking on a career as an attorney that ended in 1986 when she took leave to raise her daughter and began writing legal fiction part-time.

Below is a list of her books:

Everywhere That Mary Went (1993)
Final Appeal (1994)
Running From the Law (1996)
Legal Tender (1996)
Rough Justice (1998)
Mistaken Identity (1999)
Moment of Truth (2000)
The Vendetta Defense (2001)
Courting Trouble (2003)
Dead Ringer (2003)
Killer Smile (2004)
Devil's Corner (2005)
Dirty Blonde (2006)
Daddy's Girl (2007)
Lady Killer (2008)
Look Again (2009)
Why My Third Husband Will Be A Dog: The Amazing Adventures of an Ordinary Woman (2009) Think Twice (2010)

To learn more about Scottoline, click here to visit her Web site.